Murray fired in St. Louis

The Blues announced this morning that they’ve fired Murray and replaced him with Davis Payne, previously head coach of the club’s AHL affiliate in Peoria.

Payne led Peoria to a 62-44-3-6 overall mark in two seasons, guiding the Rivermen to a 43-31-2-4 record and a playoff spot in 2008-09.

It appears the Blues’ 4-3 overtime loss to Vancouver on New Year’s Eve – a game St. Louis led 3-0 – was the final straw for St. Louis president John Davidson. It was the fourth straight loss for the Blues and left the underachieving team at 17-17-6, nine points out of eighth place in the Western Conference.

The Blues have the second-fewest goals in the conference this season, but the statistic that probably led to Murray’s demise was the team’s home record this year: At 6-13-3, St. Louis was worse at home than any other NHL club. That couldn’t have been sitting too well with management, especially with the strong home crowds the Blues have been getting one night after another at the Scottrade Center.

The Preds beat the Blues twice at home this season, and St. Louis looked awful for the better part of two periods in the 4-3 loss to Nashville on Dec. 29. On that night, Murray had chosen to make defenseman Erik Johnson – the number one pick in the 2006 draft and a recent U.S. Olympic selection – a healthy scratch.